Patti

My grandmother passed away few weeks ago. I want to write so much about how sweet, smart, close and miraculous she was to me. I find myself very much inarticulate, inadequate. When I sat stroking her cold forehead, all those imags of her floating in my mind, I felt so insignificant at the face of the power and finality of death.

Iraq

The more I read about the war - "Operation Iraq freedom" - got to be the mother of all euphemisms, the more I feel sick. Though the pacifist in me shudders with horror, there is a little part of me that is proud of the defiance Baghdad is showing. The lines have blurred now. With talks of post war construction contracts already, while hundreds of Iraqis are dying, US has completely exposed itself as to what a greedy bully it is. If the stock market is an indicator, the US economy might improve and then they will all go back to talk about the ill gotten Nazi money and how to get it back from the Swiss banks.

Chennai

Was in chennai last weekend. Pre dawn arrival, yet I could feel the heat. As the car went through the silent, dark streets, briefly illuminated by the headlights, I could see sleeping forms of men, women and children huddled along the pavement precariously close to the main road. Probably a common sight in many slums, but very heart wrenching and poignant especially when the harsh light framed a sleepy mother patting her small child sitting up and crying, perhaps just woken up from a night mare.

Makes one wonder of politics, philosophy and even religion.

Rai

Talking of Aishwarya Rai posters, it seems to be an unwritten code for all Auto drivers to paste a picture of her eyes right in the front, where their rear-view mirror would be. Wonder what thats all about.

FM

You are inside the car, listening to FM radio. There is a traffic report about the accident in hudson circle and someone calls in and talks about his desire to get back with his girlfriend with whom he broke up a year ago (their names - Robert and Michelle). There is a momentary uncertainty as to where you are. And then there is the look on the young balloon peddler's face as he watches a man, his lady and their toddler arrive in their scooter to stop in the traffic light.